Just in time for St Patrick's Day, Nike dubbed its new Dunk Low sneaker the "Black and Tan" in a nod to Ireland's great export – Guinness. The beer-themed trainer has a black-leather upper with tan elements, creamy swoosh and an image of a pint inside.

But Nike had put its foot in it. The name conjures bitter memories for the Irish, Black and Tans being the violent British paramilitary unit, the Royal Irish Constabulary reserve force, that conducted brutal reprisals during the early 1920s Irish Independence Wars, including the atrocities of Bloody Sunday on 21 November 1920. One Irish-American commented that it was like calling a shoe "the al-Qaida". They were so called for their distinctive mixture of army khaki and police tunics – like a "pack of hounds", according to some accounts. A swath of the centre of Cork was destroyed by RIC Auxiliaries and the Black and Tans and a local cardinal described them as, "a horde of savages, some of them simply brigands, burglars and thieves." Nike has since apologised.

• This article was amended on 19-20 March 2012 to include, for the avoidance of confusion, the date of the killings known as Bloody Sunday in 1920. In a reference to the burning of part of central Cork in December 1920, mention of the RIC Auxiliaries force has been included with the Black and Tans, as both were involved in this attack.